The invention relates to a tracked chassis for a work machine having a track which comprises at least one roller path, in particular two roller paths extending in parallel, on whose running surface at least one track roller of the tracked chassis is movable during crawler operation.
Tracked chassis or crawler chassis comprise at least one revolving crawler track which is composed of a number of track links which are linked to one another in an articulated manner. At least one sprocket wheel provides the drive of the track, with said sprocket wheel being driven via at least one drive unit of the undercarriage and with the toothing of said sprocket wheel engaging into the track links for transferring force. In addition, at least one deflection pulley and a plurality of tension rollers and plain rollers are provided. The deflection pulley and the sprocket wheel are mounted at the front and at the back in the direction of travel, the plain rollers are arranged therebetween along the contact area and the tension rollers are supported disposed opposite the plain rollers in the region of the returning chain run. The deflection pulley, also called the idler, is typically displaceably fastened to the undercarriage and thereby provides the required track tension. The load of the vehicle can be introduced uniformly or non-uniformly into the resulting contact area of the crawler track over the plain rollers.
The contact surfaces between the plain rollers and the inwardly disposed surfaces of the individual track links are called a roller path, with the roller path being composed of the linked track links. Variants are known having one or more roller paths, with the second variant providing that each track link has two or more roller paths which extend in parallel and on which separate rims of a single roller run. The contact surface of the rims is called the running surface of the plain rollers.
Forces which occur are largely led off via the contact surfaces of the track drive into the ground contact area in machine operation so that the roller paths of the track links and plain rollers are in particular subject to high wear. The required lateral clearance between the plain rollers and the track links additionally promotes the wear since relative displacements or a tilt may produce a non-uniform force transmission and in particular high load peaks of the material can occur at points. This is in particular a problem on bumpy contact areas.
To stem the wear which occurs, relevant surfaces of the track or of the roller are hardened in the region of their running surfaces. However, in particular with a temporary high load at points, strain peaks can occur which can have the consequence of huge damage to the material due to crack formation.